Questions
by rumovercoke
Summary: Midorima and Takao are college students and meet for the first time at a goukon neither wanted to attend. Takes place in an AU where none of the Kurobas characters play basketball. MidoTaka (w/ a dash of KiseTaka)
1. Chapter 1

**Legit my first time writing a fic. I apologize if I'm no good at it.**  
**At some point, the rating's going to be bumped up to an M.**

* * *

"_Pleeeease_, we're only one guy short, Takao-san!"

Takao Kazunari let out a sigh and tried to keep himself from rolling his eyes. He was lying on his bed and had been playing on his PSP before he finally paused his game and looked up. Fujioka, his roommate, returned a look of pure pleading. The guy was certainly nice enough but… a goukon?

"Are you _sure_ you can't find anyone else?" Takao gently asked.

Fujioka looked down, clearly having hoped to avoid that question.

"Well, it's not that I can't find anyone else…" He looked up at Takao, who was now giving him his full attention. "It's just there's this girl coming, Ayaka—er, Inoue-san. I asked her to come along as a joke but she ended up saying yes… So now instead of four girls and four guys, we have five girls and need…"

Takao sat up and said, "Yeah, I get it." He outstretched his arms, suddenly realizing how long he'd been cooped up with his game for. "I guess it's tonight, too?"

Fujioka nodded.

"And I guess I do owe you."

Fujioka blushed a little bit at that remark and said, "Eh, if that's how you feel about it."

What Takao was referring to was an incident from the first week of classes that semester. He was thoroughly embarrassed by it—he'd had maybe a _little_ too much to drink and a hot guy with him. Somehow the two of them thought it made perfect sense to have sex in the common area as opposed to walking a few feet to Takao's bedroom… and karma bit him in the ass in the form of his new roommate walking in on him getting pounded, _hard_. If he'd ever felt like keeping that part of his life private, it was clearly no longer an option.

Takao smiled at him. "Don't worry, I'd be happy to help. It should be fun, right?"

Fujioka smiled back, perhaps a little too enthusiastically. "Yeah!" He reigned himself back a bit. "I mean, I know it might be boring for you but—"

Takao snickered and waved the comment off. "Come on, come on, like I said, I owe you! Plus, conversation and food is never boring!" He smiled. "Good luck with this Inoue girl."

He blushed again. "Thanks. It's at 8 so I'll tell you when it's time to go." Takao nodded and Fujioka let himself out.

Takao sighed again and fought the urge to lie back in bed and continue playing his game. He'd be leaving soon… it was probably for the best to take a shower and not just sit around until the last minute. Then again, that boss wasn't gonna defeat itself.

Then again, he didn't want to arrive less than presentable.

Then again, it was a goukon for straight people anyway.

Then _again_, he did owe it to Fujioka to put some effort in.

_Then again, laziness._

Takao smacked both of his cheeks to snap himself out of it. He bounced out of bed and prepared to take a shower.

* * *

_So… bored…_

Takao thought the same thing over and over, the phrase itself repeating in his head like a mantra. The group date was even more tiring than Takao had expected—and big social events were usually his thing. He focused on his food and made sure to eat at a slower pace to make his lack of involvement seem more natural, as if he was just busy eating. He glanced over at Fujioka.

"Well, he seems to be enjoying himself," Takao huffed.

The whole set up was awkward. There wasn't one person that made sure everyone was introduced to everyone else, and to top that the seating arrangement was off. He was sure that initially it was supposed to have been boys and girls each seated on their own sides, but Fujioka had instantly sat down next to the Inoue girl. This displaced another girl into sitting next to Takao. (Fortunately for her, she was getting along very well with the guy sitting on her other side. They both seemed like the quiet, bookish type.) It all seemed like a very amateurish, rushed goukon. Furthermore, there was one of those guys at the date.

Sometimes, a group date is set up simply as an excuse to be around an incredibly good-looking person that someone has casual connections to. It's obvious that your group date is one of these when three out of the five women in the group spend all of their time talking to one guy. The boy in question was very tall, had to be at least 6 feet, Takao guessed. He had blond hair and these _almost_ girly eyes and face, but a super fit and manly body to counteract it. He was definitely attractive and he didn't seem to have a bad personality. Of course, he was being completely bombarded by the three girls who were all trying to get his attention, so there was no way for Takao to know for sure. Apparently he was a model? The girls wouldn't shut up about it.

The guy sitting on Takao's left, however, was… imposing, to say the least. Takao looked over and up at him.

_There's that angry face again. What's he so mad about? That Kise guy getting all the attention maybe?_

The boy had green hair, short technically, but long enough that it covered his forehead, resting right above his eyes. His arms were crossed, making him look like he was ready to leave at any moment. He wore glasses that had no top frame and just… looked… pissed.

"You look pissed."

The green-haired boy's eyes flicked downwards, glaring at Takao.

"What did you say?"

Takao almost jumped. His voice was way deep. And it matched his face, too, it sounded angry.

"Who me?" Takao cracked a smile, having to force it a little. When the guy didn't answer him but wouldn't break eye contact, he chuckled lightly. "Ah, I just pointed out that you look like you might flip this table over."

He finally looked away. "Don't be ridiculous."

_So abrasive. My god, he must leave such a shitty taste in people's mouths._

"So what is it? That's got you so mad?" Takao probed.

The boy stayed quiet.

_Ignoring me, huh?_

"You get dumped recently?" No response. "Are you a vegetarian?" A quick glance at his build and he instantly knew that wasn't it. Jeez, this guy was insanely fit, too. In fact, he also _had_ to be tall—what the hell was with these two guys?

"Ah!" Takao lowered his voice and leaned in a little closer. "Is it because the three available girls are all wet for Mr. Model over there?"

"Wha—?!" The green-haired boy jerked away from him and stared at him in what was very clearly disgust. The slight red rising in his cheeks also hinted at embarrassment. He regained his composure and sat up straight again, after readjusting his glasses. "…Repulsive."

"Pft!" Takao hadn't even anticipated that snicker. And he _certainly_ hadn't expected that reaction—what was that about? "Calm down, I'm just kidding. I hardly think he's _repulsive_ just because he's popular with girls."

"Not him— the thing you said!" he replied instantly, actually snapping back at him.

_What is this?_

"Eh? What repulsive thing did I say?"

The red in his cheeks got just a little darker. "You know exactly what you said. And to say something like that when the people you're referring to are right in front of you truly is revolting."

Takao pouted and looked away. Then he looked back up at the boy.

_Seriously, what is this?_

"If I said sorry, would I still be repulsive?"

The giant was quiet for a moment before saying, "Why would that matter at all to me?"

Takao smirked again. "So you can show that much distaste towards something that doesn't matter at all to you?"

_This guy is funny._

"You don't make any sense. And you ask too many questions."

_I wanna be his friend._

* * *

**This chapter ends somewhat abruptly because I have more but it didn't seem to fit properly within one chapter. Next chapter should be up within a few days.**

**Thanks for reading :3**


	2. Chapter 2

Unfortunately, the goukon didn't get much more entertaining for Takao. The reserved couple left together, before anyone else. The next to leave was the pretty boy, citing that he had a photo shoot early in the morning and had to go—it was Takao's personal opinion, however, that he just bored with the girls' incessant fawning over him. It was clear the dinner had been a thorough success for his roommate, though, judging by the intimate way he and his girl were speaking now. That alone let him feel like he hadn't wasted the night.

Just as Takao rose, the guy next to him stood as well. Their arms rubbed against one another, causing the other guy to glare at him. Takao wanted to make a remark but held back due to surprise. He really _was_ tall. Taller than Kise. 6 feet and… he couldn't begin to guess.

"_Giant,_" Takao said, accidentally out loud, as the boy walked away. He almost covered his mouth straight after, hoping he hadn't heard him. He was usually better at keeping his thoughts to himself.

…Well, that wasn't totally true. About hoping he hadn't heard him. He kind of did want him to turn around and say something. He seemed to get so irritated so easily—it was fascinating.

On his way out, Takao smiled and waved at Fujioka, silently wishing him good luck one last time. He paid his share at the front and exited the restaurant. It wasn't until he was outside and cool, fresh air hit him that he finally realized how strongly the place had smelled of meat.

* * *

"Yes," he answered, compliantly. "Yes, mother, I know."

Midorima Shintarou scrunched up his brow in frustration. His phone had started ringing the moment he'd set a foot outside—surely this had to be what Oha-Asa had been referring to this morning.

"Shin-kun, I know you well enough to know you just sat there keeping to yourself… if you're ever to find a girlfriend, you can't act stuck up!"

Midorima looked up and had to hold back a loud, hard sigh. "Yes, mother."

There was silence on the other side for a moment. Then, "I know you're just saying yes to get me to leave you alone."

Midorima didn't say anything at first, then stumbled to say, "Ah, no, mother—"

"Shin-kun, I'm only trying to help you! Your father is a stuffed up loner, too, and look how long it took for him to find me!"

This time he did sigh. "Mother, it's late and I'm hanging up. You should go to bed."

"Ah! Don't you hang up on me!" In the background, Midorima could hear his father's voice demanding something of her. He was likely telling her to calm down and that they both had work in the morning.

"Good night, mother." He hung up. He also decided then and there that was the last time he'd go to a goukon and maybe the last time he'd do a favor for his mother. As Midorima closed his phone and slipped it back into his pocket, he heard the restaurant door open and shut.

"Eww, my shirt smells like barbecue…"

Midorima looked to his left and the boy who had bugged him earlier was gingerly sniffing at the collar of his shirt. He in turn looked up at him. Midorima turned away and began walking home.

A few seconds later, he realized he heard footsteps behind him. How annoying.

After a few more minutes of walking straight, Midorima found himself even more profoundly irritated. He had to take a breath and calm himself down a bit.

_Common sense dictates that he's definitely not following you. You know this. You obviously just live in the same direction._

He actually was able to calm himself down a bit when his turn came up. The only thing in his direction was the student dorms.

_It's not that late yet… after I get in, I'll shower and then try to finish that paper I have due next week. I can't imagine that taking much time, so maybe I'll squeeze in a few chapters of the history textbook. I'm already six chapters ahead, though, so maybe I should—Fuck, are you serious!?_

It took iron discipline for him to not whip his head around and visually confirm what he was hearing—this bastard was still following him!

"Pft!"

Midorima readjusted his glasses, trying to ignore the guy.

"…Pfft..!" Giggling broke the silence between them.

Midorima finally gave in and said, loudly enough that the asshole would hear him, "What the hell are you laughing at?"

The laughing stopped for a moment. "Who… me?" the guy asked for the second time that night.

"As if there's anyone else here." He was having a hard time containing his anger for some reason. Something about this guy pissed him off so easily, even when he couldn't see him.

"Ha ha… it's just… you're so mad…" The guy continued laughing.

That did it.

He stopped walking and finally turned around. His eyes shot daggers at the guy.

"Whoa!" The other boy stopped walking, as well, looking surprised. The look of surprise soon changed into a smile. "I just thought it was funny, that's all."

Midorima didn't say a word.

"The whole time I was walking behind you, I could tell you were angry. And I just kept thinking to myself, 'he must think I'm following him' and each time I'd think I was imagining it, your back would tense up and you'd walk more stiffly and…" He laughed and walked up to him.

"You're way too easy to read."

The boy was short. Probably of average height or more, but Midorima found himself having to crane his neck a bit to look him in the eye. Though he probably wouldn't have to if the guy would just back up a bit—why was he standing so close? Far too prideful to back down, Midorima continued to glare at him.

The two of them stood there. Two-thirds of the way home. In silence. Midorima was aware that he couldn't come up with anything to say, but why was this loudmouth suddenly keeping quiet?

The guy liked acting goofy but his dark, silver eyes were very sharp when he wasn't laughing. Searching. All-seeing. He suddenly found himself lost in his expression.

The eye contact was too intense.

"What's your name?" The other boy finally said. He smiled again and his eyes did the same. They weren't invasive anymore. He found himself feeling less tense finally.

"M…" _Why am I giving him my name?_ "Midorima… Shintarou."

"Midorima-kun, huh?"

He cringed slightly at the '-kun'.

"I'm Takao Kazunari." Takao lifted a hand and, instead of extending it out to him, ran it through the front of his hair, smoothly. "We should hang out some time."

Midorima felt his face heat up and he suddenly felt the need to do anything else. He broke the eye contact, crossed his arms, and adjusted his glasses again.

_Yeah, right._

_As if I'd ever._

_I have no time for someone like you._

_I'd rather die._

He thought up tons of rejections, hundreds of excuses, yet somehow was at a loss for words.

Takao just kept smiling and patted him on the shoulder. "I'll see you then."

Midorima watched him walk away for a little bit before continuing heading in the same direction. Once he saw him make a right into the Shuutoku dormitory grounds, he cursed under his breath.

_Seriously…_

He eased up when he saw Takao head toward the B block building—Midorima himself lived in A block.

* * *

When Midorima finally got back to his room, he carried out the tasks just as he'd planned them on his walk home.

Showered. Finished his paper. Studied.

At a quarter past 11, he decided it was time to sleep. In high school, he'd usually gone to bed at 10—any later and he usually wouldn't have had the energy to jog after waking up. He guessed higher stamina came with age. After putting his school supplies in their appropriate places, he realized his desktop was still on. He shook the mouse around to wake up the monitor.

On the screen was Cancer's Oha-Asa prediction, still up from that morning. Before exiting out of his browser, Midorima took a moment to re-read what was on the screen.

_Cancer! Be prepared to take a risk for another's sake! All in all, today's plans will go off without a hitch! However, watch out for Scorpio! When things appear calm, expect Scorpio to cause a bit of trouble for you!_

Surely enough, his mother had called him, acting hysterical, just after he'd left the group date he'd agreed to four days prior. Midorima smiled to himself before shutting his computer off.

Oha-Asa got it right every time.

* * *

**I enjoyed writing this chapter quite a bit and then wrote that Oha-Asa prediction and suddenly never wanted to write again. Reads kinda awkward, I feel like; sorry about that.**

**Please review! Or don't. But please do! Next chapter up tomorrow—I'm kinda on a roll right now. :]**


	3. Chapter 3

It was Monday and Takao was waiting to get out of his last class of the day. He wasn't really an academic genius of any sort but he was bright enough that he often found himself either bored or distracted during classes, with few exceptions. He'd spent a lot of that day stifling back yawns, checking the time, and trying not to get caught sending text messages. Now, though, his mind wandered slightly to Saturday night.

He hadn't seen his roommate since then, if he didn't count the quick 'good mornings' they had exchanged before the guy had rushed out the door earlier that day. Fujioka was a third-year med student and always either studying or just leaving the dorm on his way out to a group study session.

The sudden sound of chair legs scratching against linoleum instantly pulled Takao out of his thoughts.

_Oh, class must be over…_

On his walk through campus and to his dorm, he continued thinking about it—the goukon.

About the food. The bookish couple and the loud fan girls. His roommate and the bubble he'd managed to create with his crush. The model that he got a bit of a not-totally-straight vibe from. And, though he tried to fight it, his thoughts eventually got around to the guy he'd talked to—Midorima Shintarou.

Takao chuckled softly to himself. He was sure he'd never met anyone so easy to mess with.

_His reactions were so satisfying—like he's never heard a joke before or something. _

Takao had resigned himself to thinking that the big guy had just been having an off night. No one was really _that_ hostile towards people they just met, right? He reached his residential building and let himself in.

_Ah, and he thought I was following him home, too… Seriously, what a weird guy. And we both live in this block of buildings so we'll probably see each other again._

Takao pulled his keys out of his pants' pocket as he approached door number 10.

_Probably not for a while, though._

Once he reached his door and stuck the key into the knob, he realized he'd been thinking about this uptight guy for at least a whole half of the walk home. Feeling a little confused, he shook his head to clear his thoughts and opened the door.

_How funny would it be if he was right there when I walked in, though?_

As he thought it, he noticed that Fujioka was home and using the common room to study with someone.

Fujioka looked up. "Oh, hi, Takao."

"What!?" Takao almost dropped his bag. "You're _kidding._"  
_The green giant is in my living room!_

Fujioka looked lost for a moment before registering what exactly his roommate might be overreacting to. And the source of his overreaction looked over at him, as well.

Sitting in the armchair across from Fujioka, Midorima's expression went from neutral to sour almost instantly upon establishing eye contact with Takao. It looked as if he muttered something to himself.

"This is Midorima-san." Fujioka said. "He's also studying medicine so he's tutoring me in a few things." He seemed a bit embarrassed.

"Uh…" Takao was at a loss for words. His casual what-if had come true.  
_Does this mean I'm psychic?  
_"That's great… so…"

Midorima's expression didn't change. Kind of like he wanted him to leave the room.

_He wants _me_ to leave my own living room?_ Takao couldn't help but smirk.

Recomposing himself, he casually let his book bag slide down his arm and into his hand. He approached the two of them and sidled up next to his roommate.

"We actually sat next to each other at the goukon, Fuji-kun."

Fujioka looked clueless. "D-did you?"

_Unbelievable._  
"Wow! You must really be in love to not even remember the people you shared dinner with!" Takao let his bag rest on the floor and sat himself on the arm of Fujioka's chair. "Hey, do you remember me being there?"

"No! Of course I do, we walked there together!"

Takao laughed before turning his attention to their guest.

Midorima sat completely still, arms crossed, identical to how he had looked when Takao had first talked to him, and continued to look as if he was sulking.

"So, Midorima-kun, are you also a third year?"

The green-haired boy had his lips pursed so tightly it looked like he wasn't going to answer. A pause hung in the air for a few seconds.

"I'm a second year," he said, finally, completely unamused.

"Huh?" Surprised, Takao looked at Fujioka and then back at him. "You're tutoring your—" Takao stopped himself since it _did_ look like his roommate was a bit embarrassed by it. "Never mind."

Takao excused himself and dragged his bag into his room, shutting the door. Soft conversation resumed in the living room.

_What do I do now?  
…_

Four minutes later, he reentered the boys' studying space, this time with two of his own textbooks.

"Excuse me…" he said, squeezing his way past Fujioka. He flashed a smile before sitting down on the couch between the other boys' armchairs. "Hope you don't mind if I study here, too…" He crossed his legs, posing Indian style on the sofa, rested one of his books on the table, and opened the other in his lap.

Though he was quite visibly annoyed, Midorima didn't say anything.

Takao pretended to study while he observed the two of them and his mind raced.

_So they're both medical students, huh?_

_It looks like Fuji-kun's really struggling… but come on, man, having your kouhai tutor you?_

…_Or maybe this Midorima's a prodigy of some kind? He certainly carries himself in that way._

Midorima looked up from his notes and Takao instantly looked back at his book. He soon found himself distracted, though—Midorima was reaching across the table, pointing something out to Fujioka.

_Long arms…_ Takao continued to look on. _Long fingers, too… His nails are perfect. _He looked back at his book but almost immediately stared at the table again. _He's left-handed._

And without warning, Takao found himself somehow mesmerized by the boy's hand.

The palm was broad but the fingers elegant. They didn't really move completely in sync, it seemed more like each finger followed the others' lead—watching his hand move, just while pointing at text, was akin to watching some sort of choreography.

_They might be perfect for complicated stuff like surgery... or playing piano. Guitar, even._

Takao tried to tear his eyes away from the hand but was inexplicably drawn in as soon as he managed it. Midorima picked up a pen to point out something in particular, holding it perfectly correct.

_Watchmaking... model trains... running them through hair..._

Takao's brow scrunched up and he bit his lip. He could feel his face growing hot and he knew he was probably blushing a little.

_Other... things..._

He held his book up so close to his face he could barely breathe, just leaving room for him to continue peeking at Midorima's fingers. He let go of his lip, just to end up grazing against and lightly resting his teeth on the top edge of his psychology textbook.

Midorima spun the pen through his fingers.

Takao had no clue how to cope with being flustered. His face got even hotter and he sunk even further behind his textbook as he found himself thinking...

He… kind of wanted them in his mouth.

* * *

**Pf****t, I promised a next day delivery and failed, sorry about that! I think I'll have chapter 4 up tomorrow—I'm quite sure but won't make any guarantees.**

**And in case you're at all interested, that pen was Midorima's lucky item of the day—something plain and reasonable from Oha Asa for a change. **


	4. Chapter 4

Midorima was an observant enough guy—he could be counted on to know when he was being watched. Since he knew so little about his colleague's roommate, he didn't know what to make of his staring at him. His natural assumption was that he was attempting to piss him off but he had to brush that notion aside and think up something else… because even though he felt annoyed by the gaze, Takao wasn't really _doing_ anything.

And was it even really his looking that was annoying him?

...No, it was that he couldn't understand why he was looking at him.

_He's not laughing but is something funny to him? What does he want from me?_

Midorima resisted from stealing a glance back at Takao, knowing that it would result in a short, but undoubtedly very awkward, moment of eye contact before one of them looked away again. He was able to focus on studying and on helping Fujioka but it didn't keep the other guy's furtive glances off of his mind.

After about thirty minutes, the intensity of the stare coming from him had lessened considerably but the constant feeling of being watched hadn't. In fact, Midorima felt more awkward than annoyed now.

_Just _what is it_ he's looking at?!_

Midorima cleared his throat.

"Ah, is it time for you to go?" Fujioka had looked up from his notes and was wearing a pathetic look that plainly said he hoped it wasn't.

"I'm feeling a little uncomfortable, to be honest."

Fujioka's look quickly turned to confusion. "Oh… is your chair no good? Sorry, we don't really have anywhere else to sit…"

The boy in glasses sighed, resting his pen on top of his notebook.

"No, it's this distracting feeling that I'm being _watched._"

Midorima instantly glared at Takao, aiming to make immediate eye contact and catch him in the act.

But.

He was… sleeping?

The boy was sitting up but his chin was firmly resting on the top of his book and his eyes were closed. It couldn't have been comfortable but yeah... he looked asleep. There was a beat of silence between he and Fujioka before Midorima finally turned back to his textbook and muttered something that sounded an awful lot like 'never mind.' Fujioka awkwardly smiled and went back to his notes, as well.

"_Pft._"

Midorima's right ear twitched at the sound and he whipped his head back around to Takao.

Still out.  
_...Or is he?_

Midorima continued to stare at him.  
_Would he be faking sleep just to mock me? _He watched for a twitch of the lip or for one eye to attempt to take a peek.

_How did I end up playing some ridiculous game with him?_

He couldn't let Fujioka catch him eyeing Takao—it would be awkward and make no sense even if he explained. So he found himself studying but consistently darting his eyes over to check on the raven-haired boy. It got to the point where he realized he was no longer absorbing any information—at this point he was _just_ trying to catch him staring.

An electronic 'beep' went off from Fujioka's phone. Midorima took a break from the tiring task he'd assigned himself and turned his attention to Fujioka reading a text message. His facial expression changed drastically in the span of about two seconds—from a small smile, to a look of panic, and then a slight frown while he turned red all the way up to his ears. What the hell was this about?

Fujioka suddenly stood up. "I have to pick up a book from someone," he said. He sounded proud for some reason. Or no... possibly determined?

Midorima let out a large sigh, put closed the textbook in front of him, and cracked his neck. Then, while stretching an arm, he said simply, "I'll go then."

_Clearly it's time to go. Fujioka hasn't asked a question in some time, indicating he either has a grasp on the material or that he's too tired to keep going. _He tried not to acknowledge the general unrest his roommate was causing him. ...But why? Why was he even giving him the creeps? Midorima stole a quick glance at Takao again.

_He's asleep. And even if he's not, he's not doing anything. So why am I so… just so…? _He shook his head in frustration, trying to perish the thought. As he started to stand, Fujioka held a hand out toward him.

"Ah, actually!" The boy faltered and withdrew his hand a bit. "Could you wait here? I'm still confused by a lot of stuff… and this'll only take a minute.

Shintarou's eyes bore into him. "Seriously?" he demanded, his tone clearly disapproving.

"Well, probably more than a minute," he corrected, his arm now completely back at his side. "But not more than ten—er, twenty. Twenty to be honest."

Midorima was annoyed and he stood up fully, towering over the other guy and adjust his glasses by the bridge. "Fujioka-san, I—"

The boy took a step to the side and back, towards the door, as he interrupted with, "I know it seems like I know what I'm doing because I've been quiet but really I was trying to be less of a nuisance to you."

Taking another step back, he said, "But in reality, I'm totally lost."

Putting on a light jacket, he pleaded, "I'm sure you understand how awkward it is for me to ask an underclassman to tutor me."

And suddenly, the door was closing, with Fujioka Kenji long gone behind it.

Midorima sighed again—this time a smaller, impotent sigh—and relaxed. He sat back down, wondering two things: _Why am I so passive today _and _Now what?_

"He's a slick bastard, isn't he?"

On the inside, he jumped—but Midorima somehow managed to keep his external composure. He looked over to his right and surely enough, it was Takao who had spoken. He was still sitting with his chin resting on his book. He tilted his head to the side and smiled softly, almost a little sleepily. Those sharp eyes were now clearly open.

Midorima didn't even know where to begin.  
So he didn't. He chose to ignore him.

After a few seconds of him staring at the door, Takao audibly huffed.

"Are you really gonna ignore me?" After more steady silence, he huffed again. "But why?"

"…"

"Hey…" There was a short beat of silence before he said, "Don't you think it's rude to ignore your host?"

"I'm not your guest." _Damn. I didn't mean to answer._

"Well, that's true but false, isn't it? I didn't invite you here but the person who did just left and this _is _my home, too…"

Midorima felt something in his face twitch. _How annoying. _

"Then I'll leave you in peace," he growled, beginning to gather his books.

"Huh?! What, why!?"

"Quite frankly, I find you irritating."

"So mean... Doesn't Fujioka need you, though?"

"…" He stopped packing up at that. _Damn._ He shot one of his most lethal looks of disdain at Takao, hoping to let him know just how pissed he was to be stuck here with him.

Takao just smiled back. Ugh. He couldn't understand that smile. Why was he so amused? _What was so entertaining?_

"Just sit back, relax—let's chat!" Takao grinned even more and waved his hand out at him, like an old woman trying to get gossip out of a friend.

"I'm not obliged to talk to you just because you're sitting here."

He gave a small smile this time. "You say that but here you are talking to me anyway."

There was a silence between the two of them for a minute. Takao straightened his textbooks out and then lightly clapped.

"Right! So is Fuji-kun a real dummy or something?"

Midorima crossed his arms and looked in another direction.

"Or is that you're really smart?"

"…"

"He's gone to meet up with the girl he likes—it's going to be a long twenty minutes."

_I don't want to admit it but… he's right if that's true._

There was another beat of silence.

Midorima wanted to make sure he didn't ask anything overly personal—he really didn't care to hear this guy drone on about himself.

"What are you studying." He asked it flatly, more like a resigned statement than a question.

"Psychology."

There was silence again. It made Midorima feel uncomfortable. He'd been expecting him to talk more; he'd talked so much up until this point! He waited a bit more before realizing he really wasn't going to elaborate after all.

_Damn._

"What year are you?" His face heated up while he struggled to not feel awkward. He cursed at himself, fully aware that he was blushing.

"Second, same as you. Though I'm not brilliant enough to be teaching my senpais anything."

Takao smiled again. Midorima wasn't looking at him but he knew somehow. _He smiles too much_, he thought.

And now it was painfully quiet again. This was foreign to Midorima—having to fill in conversation. He was usually content to sit in stony silence with someone; he liked peace and quiet. But somehow quiet didn't seem calm when he was in a room with this boy. It felt tense and unbearably loud. It drove him nuts.

"You…" _No, something else._ Something to get him talking and throw the burden of breaking the ice elsewhere.

"Shintarou-san, are you planning on becoming a surgeon?"

Surprised by the question (and the use of his first name), he looked at Takao again, who had a smile on his face as per usual.

"…That's a rather sharp guess."

Takao's eyes lit up. "_Really? _I was right?"

Midorima nodded, and then broke eye contact. At least his face was warm instead of burning hot now.

"Jeez, but doesn't that mean you're going to be in school for the rest of your life?"

He scoffed. "You sure like to exaggerate."

"I really couldn't do medical school," Takao said, clearly ignoring his last comment. "That's _too_ much studying. And I especially couldn't aim to be a surgeon." He grimaced. "Couldn't deal with the pressure of having someone's life in my hands like that…"

"…"

"Ah, but I could tell because your nails are so well taken care of."

Midorima looked at his hand and turned it over. He definitely put a lot of effort in keeping his hands presentable—he didn't want it to but it actually felt pretty satisfying for a near stranger to notice it so quickly.

"Is that so?" he asked, taking care not to show how he felt.

Takao nodded. He opened his mouth as if to say something but then stopped. Instead he stretched over the table and grabbed Midorima's left hand.

"Hey—!"

Midorima instinctively pulled his hand away from him but the shorter boy didn't let go.

"What the fuck are you doing?" he growled through gritted teeth. He didn't like being touched. And this guy was acting really weird all of a sudden.

Takao laughed. "I'm just checking out your fingers, jeez! Calm down, Shin-chan!"

By now his face had to be fire engine red. Midorima pulled his arm back with great force, managing to get out of his grasp.

"Don't be so overly familiar!"

_What the fuck—Shin-chan?_

"Aw, come on, I didn't get to inspect them." Takao sat back down, trying to hold back laughter and Midorima stood up, completely flustered.

In less than a minute, his books were packed up and he was already out the door and on his way out of the building.

And he was fucking furious.

But... was he furious? He tried to keep his arms from swinging wildly as he walked in quick, forceful strides.

_What was that all about? Bugging me while pretending to sleep. Openly mocking me._

His pace only quickened the more he thought about it. The further he got from Takao, the hotter his face got and the more confused he felt.  
He was mad; there was no question about it. He was annoyed. Confused. But there was something else there, too. Something he couldn't place. It was the feeling that had caused him to panic and run off instead of putting that insolent brat in his place.

_...Why can't I stop blushing!?_

* * *

******Wow, sorry, people—that was very uncool of me to take so long. This is my longest chapter so far and I got (very) stuck in the beginning of it.**

******Please leave reviews, especially for this chapter! Constructive criticism is a writer's best friend!**

******Thank you for being patient and I especially thank you for reading. *bows deeply***


	5. Chapter 5

_Uh oh, he left…  
_It was the first thing Takao thought once he stopped laughing at Midorima's red-faced departure. Fujioka had needed his help… Whoops.

_I could stay here and do homework, then explain why he left when Fujioka gets back…  
_Or?  
_Pft, or I could bail and explain what happened tomorrow._

Yeah, that sounded like less of a pain.

* * *

Takao checked the time on his phone as he walked around his school's campus.

Just 6:30.

The sun seemed like it had a while to go before setting; it was still relatively early. He sulked, just now realizing that he could have avoided by simply locking himself in his room for the rest of the day. But now that he'd been walking for about ten minutes, he felt somehow obliged to continue wandering—at least until it got a little dark out.

Even so… was he actually content to walk around for an hour?

_Campus is beautiful and all, sure, but I'm already kind of bored…_ he thought. At least there were still people out. The weather at the moment was a perfect example of why autumn was Takao's favorite season; not necessarily warm, but absolutely not cold. You could wear summer clothes without ruining them with sweat and wear light jackets without anyone complaining that you were making them feel hot.

Takao messed with his phone a bit, scrolling through his long list of contacts, contemplating an early evening booty call.

"Who… who… who…" He scrolled through his contact list in search of potential fuck buddies.

He'd only been half-serious when the thought had originally crossed his mind but now that he was actually looking at names, he was so into the idea he was humming. Takao had managed to get around quite a bit since he'd been in college and had more than a few potential candidates. He came down to choosing between Sakurai and Moriyama-kun—basically a choice between whether he wanted to top or bottom. He chose Sakurai.

He was standing out in the open in a way that made it obvious his phone conversation directed which way he would walk next. Their text conversation was riddled with Sakurai's tiny apologies and, after a while, it started to feel like he was attempting to squirm out of meeting up. Once Sakurai sent what felt like the hundredth text that featured a 'sorry' and a 'maybe', Takao sighed and wrote:

_never mind. some other time, ok?_

And with that message, he wasn't feeling terribly interested in fooling around anymore. Not with the amount of effort it suddenly felt like it would take. It was then that he realized where he was—near the campus's soccer field. He shoved his phone in his pocket and figured he might as well watch a game or something. Once he was at the soccer field, he recognized someone.

_Kise was his name, right?_ _The model._

Takao watched the school's soccer team practice from the bleachers. He didn't really know much about soccer, he was more of a basketball fan, but skill is truly an undeniable thing—and it was obvious the model was _good._ Every time he had possession of the ball, he handled it with what looked like no effort at all. He was barely breaking a sweat and, in fact, looked almost bored. No, he was definitely bored. Takao knew the face he had far too well; it was the face he made while trying to stay awake during group discussions in his philosophy class. He didn't mean to be disrespectful, but it just felt as if no one knew what they were talking about, even when they made perfect sense. It wasn't that they were too dumb it was just that sometimes Takao felt…

"Too bright…" He held up an arm and squinted. The last glimmers of light blinded him for a second as the sun finally set and disappeared.

"_Kise!_" a harsh voice called out, bringing Takao's attention back to the field. It had come from a guy of shorter stature than Kise but who definitely got in his face like he was taller. He was obviously captain and, now that Takao thought about it, he could half-recall his name. Kasa-something.

_Oh._

Takao had been so caught up in watching the blond play that he hadn't paid any attention to the other players—he knew one of them.

"_Moriyama-kun!_" Takao called, waving an arm in the air. He wasn't that far off but he still felt it necessary to yell like he was in a stadium. The entire team looked in his direction, save for the captain, who actually smacked Kise upside the head for getting distracted.

_Well, that was unfortunate._

Moriyama gave a tentative look over to the captain then approached Takao. The rest of the team began dispersing, heading toward the locker rooms—practice must have been done. Once he was close enough, Takao could see a slight look of uneasiness on Moriyama's face.

"Not happy to see me?" Takao smiled a little.

Moriyama took a quick look around before saying, "That's not it. It's just—"

"What, two guys can't talk after practice?"

The guy had dark hair that he kept perfectly swept to the right (though it was sticking to his forehead a bit now), narrow eyes, and was known for talking about girls _constantly._

But yeah.

Takao had fucked him.

Moriyama had been very hands-off about the whole thing—he had no problem taking charge but would hardly ever touch Takao's dick and wouldn't even let Takao suck him off until their third hook up. Takao didn't think he was in the closet, he thought it was more likely he was just experimenting; he definitely genuinely loved women. But he didn't particularly care about the inner workings of Moriyama's sexuality—he was Takao's type and since he didn't want people to know he dabbled in men, he could be counted on not to get attached. That was what mattered.

"I didn't even know you were on the soccer team," Takao confessed.

Moriyama was clearly keeping his distance, though not in a hostile way.

"Yeah, I am. What are you doing here?"

"I—" Takao remembered that since he'd just admitted to not knowing he played soccer, he couldn't really turn his answer into a flirtation. He sulked a bit and said, "I was wandering around campus… while the weather's still nice."

"Oh, yeah. It's a good temperature for practice, too."

"Seems like it."

They both broke eye contact and silence struck them.

Awkward silence... with the sound of Kise trying to argue with his captain in the background.

_Wow_, Takao thought. _So this is what zero chemistry is._ It made him laugh.

When Moriyama looked confused, he shook his head to assure him it wasn't anything he did. He tilted his head to the side.

"So are you too worn out for some _extra_ extra-curriculars…?" One corner of his mouth lifted into a sly smile and his eyes narrowed a little.

The other boy swallowed hard enough that his Adam's apple clearly jumped.

"Uh, just let me shower. And my dorm is close to here so."

_Thank god he's so matter-of-fact about it._

Takao nodded, smiling closer to normal now. Moriyama nodded back and headed back toward the health building, walking a little faster than normal. Takao sighed and outstretched his legs, satisfied... but annoyed at the same time. He wasn't even totally sure what was annoying him, either. It was his favorite time of day, there was a light breeze, and he was gonna get laid. So what was it eating at him like this?

He thought about that and little else while he waited there. Maybe his clothes weren't fitting right. Something he'd missed in class? Did he have to take a shit?

_No, no, no.  
It's… oh._

He got it. A frown fell on his face, triggered by confusion.

_I'm thinking… I wanna hook up with someone I l… like._

"Agh, dammit." He knit his brows and passed a hand through the front of his hair. "The last thing I need is complication."

Takao typically had no problem being single. In fact he liked it. It meant his top priorities were school and sex—two things he could handle without worrying. The only time he felt that he specifically _wanted_ to be with someone he had feelings for was when that person had already become apparent to him. But who? He didn't have anyone that kind of special here at school.

Did he?

He was wracking his brains trying to think of who it could possibly be that he was interested in when Moriyama's voice broke his thoughts.

"Uhm… let's go…" He sounded stilted and weird. Takao looked up at him. What he saw was Moriyama, looking exasperated and a little rundown. And behind him was…

"Ah… Kise, right?" Takao asked to make sure.

The blond, cheery guy stood next to Moriyama, towering over him a bit. He smiled openly and nodded.

"That's right—Kise Ryouta. I'm glad you remember me!"

"Uh… you remember _me?_"

Kise nodded in a way that suggested it was only natural. "Of course! We didn't talk but we were sitting kinda close."

Moriyama looked a little unnerved and asked, "Do you two know each other?"

"Yeah!"  
"Not really."

Kise turned to Takao instantly, looking hurt. "What do you mean 'not really'?!"

"_Pft._" Takao held back a full laugh because he couldn't be sure how Kise might react to it. "I just meant that we didn't even talk that night, it was more like we just happened to be in the same room, at the same table." Kise was clearly about to protest but Takao interrupted him. "Do you even know my name, Kise-kun?" Takao smiled.

This clearly caught Kise off-guard. "Um…"

Moriyama also looked at him expectantly.

_This is too funny._

"Ta… Tada…Tada-something…"

"Ta-ka-o," Takao said, really enunciating. "Takao. Ka-zu-na-ri."

Kise blushed a little and looked kinda mad. "Ok, ok, Takao. I'm not an idiot, I just forgot!"

Takao struggled to keep in a chuckle.

_He couldn't have forgotten since I never introduced myself the first time._ _Ah, whatever, he seems like a good guy. More importantly, why is he still hanging around?_

Takao, after hopping off of the bleachers, turned slightly to Moriyama.

"So when do we head—"

"Out? Now." He answered quickly.

'_Out'? Not 'back'?_

"Uh…"

"We're going to karaoke, remember?" Moriyama asked, sounding sour.

"A—Karaoke?"

_Whattttt, no!_

"Kise kept asking where I was headed so I told him karaoke with a friend and he insisted on… tagging along." There his face went a little pink, like he was also annoyed with himself for not having lied better or something. And Takao shared the sentiment.

_My hook up…_

He almost said 'Never mind, I'll just go home,' but then remembered he was still trying to avoid his roommate.

_Damn. Really stuck.  
Ah, well. It could be worse… at least it's karaoke._

Kise seemed to suddenly be full of a lot of energy as he suddenly shot ahead of them.

"Come on, let's go then! I haven't sung karaoke in a while!

In the brief moment Moriyama and Takao had together away from their unwelcome guest, Takao leaned in and said, lowly,

"This is all your fault."

Moriyama pulled back, shocked by the serious tone of his voice. Takao smiled, clearly kidding, and he relaxed and smiled a little, too.

Although Takao _did_ kind of mean it.

* * *

Kazunari was annoyed again. There he'd been thinking that he'd finally gotten a smile out of Moriyama and that the two of them had bonded a little over their accidentally ruined plans.

About two-thirds of the way there, Moriyama had gotten a phone call—judging from the way he suddenly turned the charm on, it had obviously been a girl. He'd ditched the two of them with no explanation apart from 'I'm needed elsewhere', a Casanova-esque flip of the hair, and a far too enthusiastic smile. He and Kise had stood alone together, about two minutes away from the karaoke place, both gawking for a few seconds before eventually deciding to hang out without him.

"So I guess I'm kind of being forced to make a friend here…" Takao grumbled, staring out of the window they were seated next to. The two of them had somewhat awkwardly decided to forget karaoke and grab something quick to eat—they _had_ been ditched in front of a Maji Burger.

"Yeah, it kind of is like that, isn't it?" Kise laughed a little, trying to alleviate the pressure of their weird circumstances.

Takao had only eaten half of his burger and a handful of his fries but felt full. He sucked his teeth.

"Is it that bad?" Kise asked. "Hanging out with me?"

"Huh?" Takao jumped a little, finally giving Kise his full attention. He smiled and laughed a little. "No, I just have no appetite suddenly. I always get that way when I'm lonely."

"But you're with me…" Kise said, looking slightly heartbroken.

"Ah!" _Whoops._ "No, that's not what I meant!" He laughed, causing Kise to ease up.

"So what do you mean?"

"Mm." Takao considered bluffing but decided he liked Kise enough to just be honest. "Well, I kind of want to be with someone."

"Unrequited love? Or something?"

"Pft, it's not anything like that. I just kind of have the feeling like there's someone out there for me right now. And when I get like that, it's difficult for me to focus or eat well. I have to at least figure out who it is."

"You look pretty troubled over it."

"Really?"

Kise nodded while taking a sip of his soda. "So any idea on who the girl is?"

"No. Guy."

"Hm?" Kise stopped drinking.

"No. Guy."

"_Hm? Guy?_" Kise asked, louder than was _at all_ necessary.

Takao scowled a bit at Kise's reaction. _Don't act so scandalized—I know you suck cock._ He looked away again and began drinking his soda, as well, sulking. _I am in the worst of moods right now, god I need to get laid!_

"You're into guys, Takao?" Kise asked, not as loud but leaning in closer.

He sighed and said, "Yes."

"Wow… I didn't expect that. Though somehow it makes sense."

Takao didn't say anything. _I wonder if he'll figure out—_

"Oh my god!" Kise covered his mouth. "So does that mean that you and _Moriyama_ we're supposed to be on a date!?" When Takao didn't respond right away, Kise kept going. "But he's always talking about girls! Though I guess that can be kind of suspect—I'm so sorry for getting in the way!"

Kise really looked sorry. Takao cracked a smile.

"Pft, it's nothing like that. We just hook up on occasion."

"Still…"

"Don't worry about it. Ah, and don't tell anyone, ok?" Takao held his finger up to his lips and winked.

Kise smiled back, looking almost impressed.

"I won't." He leaned back in his seat again. "Wow, Takao-kun, you're really interesting."

"So, what about you?"

His eyes widened a bit. "Me?"

"Girls or boys?" Takao's eyes narrowed in contrast as he rest his face in his hand and smiled.

Kise laughed. "Oh, right. Well, to be honest, I'm not really partial to either."

_Knew it._ Takao smiled more. "You're interesting, too, Kise-kun."

_Ah… Tell me I'm not trying to seduce this guy._

"If I was some sort of creep I'd say you almost owe me for losing Moriyama-kun tonight… Kidding."

Words spilled from Takao's lips without him meaning to.

"Though you did spoil my plans to get thoroughly fucked by a slightly repressed hetero guy."

_I'm no good when I like people.  
I'm pathetic and needy._

"If you did make it up to me..."

_I don't want to know who this person is._

"...how would you?"  
Takao was sure he saw a smile form on Kise's face.

_Maybe I can fuck these feelings out of me?_

* * *

**Arghghghgh, I'm not too happy with this chapter after all. I apologize, people. ;_; I'm not terribly confident I did a good job with Kise, either. (I really tried, I don't know much about Kise lol.)  
Regardless of my personal satisfaction with it, though, I need to know _your _thoughts, so pleeeease let me know in a review.**

**Also in regards to the possible hook up between Takao and Kise, there should be a poll up on my profile. Please vote if you can!**

**I apologize that this chapter was a whole lot of poorly done descriptions. And apologize to anyone who doesn't like the idea of Takao with other Kurobas characters. (But I can't be the only who _does._)**

**See you next chapter!**


	6. Chapter 6

Takao had tried.

He hadn't tried _that_ hard, but he had definitely put at least a modicum of effort into not flirting with Kise. But they really did get along well and he was a _model._ He'd managed to keep his hands to himself the whole walk back to campus—it was just that the passages along the residential buildings had proven to be more tempting than not. While approaching what seemed like the 50th out of sight area at the side of a building, he'd given up and pulled Kise away.

Takao laughed softly into Kise's mouth. "You're so much taller than me."

Kise lightly laughed back. "Sorry about that."

The two had been making out for a while now—Takao was impressed by how good of a kisser Kise was. He guessed it only made sense that he had a lot of experience. The longer they stayed together in the dark, the deeper their tongues explored. He made the first venture under Kise's shirt.

"Whoa." Takao missed a beat in their kiss. "Perfect." He traced his hand along the outline of Kise's tempered abs. _I guess this is a soccer body, huh._

Kise smiled. "Thank you."

_He likes compliments…_ Takao smiled, thinking it was interesting. Once Kise's hand moved toward his belt, Takao broke the kiss.

"…Right here?" he asked, more than a little reluctant.

Kise looked both ways before looking back at him. "No one's coming this way."

Takao ventured further up Kise's shirt, brushing against a nipple, while thinking.

_It's dark but it's not that late. I still saw people walking around. _The likelihood of being seen was very high.

Kise leaned in to kiss again but Takao held a finger up to his mouth, stopping him.

"We… absolutely should not."

Kise made a pitiful, pleading face. "Really?"

_Even that face is cute._ "Well..." Takao looked around before lowering his finger and giving Kise a quick kiss. "How about this? We're right near Kaijou anyway, aren't we?"

Kise blinked and realized that they were. "Oh yeah... I guess I got carried away since you dragged me over here." He smiled. "Let's go."

_Yes, yes, yes, getting laid, yes._

* * *

Even though they really shouldn't have been, Takao and Kise spent the rest of the walk over to Shuutoku making out heavily. The walk took extraordinarily long because they kept stopping to kiss, they stumbled over each other to get in the door, and when they finally did lay down together, Kise's weight less heavy than Takao had expected, they were both undoubtedly hard. There was something about being around Kise that made Takao think less and act a little reckless. He focused on fun more than anything else.

As the taller boy left a trail of kisses down his neck, Takao opened his eyes briefly to do a sweep of their surroundings. It was ten o'clock somehow and the lights had been off when they walked in. The lights were _still_ off—goddamn it, he was on the couch again.

_No, this isn't happening a second time._

When Takao patted Kise on the shoulder, it was to get his attention so he could tell him they needed to move, that his room was just a few feet away. They could even do it on the floor if he couldn't hold out that much longer. Kise traced his tongue back up his neck, all the way to his ear.

"Yes?" he whispered, before biting and sucking at his earlobe.

A chill ran down his spine and Takao sighed as he grabbed the blond by the neck, kissing him hard and gasping when his tongue crept into his mouth again.

_Nope, I give up._

Since the lights were off and it was after ten, Takao rationalized that Fujioka was in bed. His light didn't shine through the cracks of his door but it still didn't mean he was asleep. This was different from last time; at least now he was certain of where Fujioka was and could gauge how much sound would cause him to wake up. This was actually _safer_ than last time, unbelievably.

While he'd contemplated all of this, Kise had unbuckled and pulled both of their pants down to their calves—he had the fast hands of someone well-experienced in bed and Takao found himself grateful for all of the actions that had let to this hook up.

"My roommate's home so just, shh..." he whispered. Kise nodded and their pact to be discreet was set.

The common room slowly filled with the nearly inaudible sighs that accompanied the two boys rubbing their erections against one another. Takao had started the mutual jerking off but as the first drops of semen began to flow, Kise took over. He pressed his thumb into the head of Takao's dick and covered their cocks with as much pre-cum as he could. It took biting the back of his hand for Takao not to let out any moans. Kise looked at Takao's face in the dark, their eyes making contact.

"Takao-kun... you're so sexy..." he drawled, not really whispering much. He licked at Takao's neck again. "You're really enjoying yourself, aren't you?"

He didn't say anything, but did wish Kise would stop talking. When he kissed him again to shut him up, he could tell he was smiling. It was a little childish.

Kise placed both of his hands around the two of them and clasped them together tightly, forming a small gap made specifically for their pleasure. Before Kise could start moving his hands up and down again, Takao thrust upward—the head of his cock slid slickly against the head of Kise's cock.

"Yeah, do that again," Kise insisted.

Takao obliged. He didn't know about Kise, but he was really close. He felt kind of bad about coming first and relatively soon, but he decided he'd make up for it in other, even more fun ways. And that the in-between might give him an excuse to finally shift things to the bedroom instead.

"I..." He closed his eyes. "I think I'm gonna come."

"Really?" Kise began thrusting, as well, timing it after Takao's thrusts. "It's fine, you can come." He used one of his hands, still slippery, to focus on bringing Takao closer to climax. "Go ahead, Takao-kun... come..."

Their stifled voices, the deep kissing, the sloppy, wet sound of Kise's hand working his cock, Kise's hot pre-cum dripping onto and sticking to Takao's—

_Oh fuck... I'm about to... ah... do I hear keys?_

The sound in question was accompanied by the front door creaking open and a flood of light into the room.

_Keys. That was the sound of keys._

"Ah!" Takao's eyes flew open and his head turned in the direction of the door.

He and Kise were now completely bathed in light.

"Fuji-kun!" Takao muttered.

_Fuck... is that Fujioka _with_ Inoue?_

Regardless, by the time his brain registered what he was seeing, he was already ejaculating. He closed his eyes and his neck jerked back as he clutched onto Kise shoulders, his bottom half shivering.

_Why did I just call out his name... _The entire room was deathly quiet and the door was still wide open with the two accidental spectators just beyond it. Takao covered his face with his hands.

"I AM SO SORRY."

It was an apology aimed at everyone.

* * *

**Hey there! This is my shortest chapter yet and I kinda apologize about that. 1) I did say _short_ KiseTaka (which, thanks for voting!) and 2) I actually wrote a lottt after this but it reads better if it stays like this.**

**As for the poll, I accidentally ended up ignoring it—I must have been super confused; I swear the last time I checked the poll (a couple of days before writing this), it said it was 5 in _favor_ of the KiseTaka scene. I'm genuinely sorry about that. I do like the idea of keeping you guys involved in the writing process when I get stuck, though. I'll probably do another poll some time and that time I PROMISE I'll read the results closely!**

**I'm a bit of a nerd about the stories I write, you'll learn more about that next chapter.**

**Like I said, there's a lot already written directly after this, so I'll be publishing it tomorrow. Til then please review thank youuuu**

**Oh and also! Let's celebrate _Questions_ finally getting bumped up to an M! (Sorry that it wasn't the pairing you may have expected, though, genuinely sorry.)**


	7. Chapter 7

"I'm thinking about coming home for the weekend, Ka-chan. Or maybe forever."

"Home? Why?" After a bit of silence, she asked, "Are you failing?"

Takao sighed at his sister Kazumi's lack of faith in him.

"I'll have you know I'm passing everything beautifully."

"Then what's the problem?" she asked, laughing a little.

"I—" Knowing instantly he couldn't tell that story, he shook his head. "Something really embarrassing happened. Really, _really_ embarrassing."

"Did you—"

"Whatever you can think of, it's much worse," Kazunari stated.

"Oh," she replied, realizing he was serious. "Well..."

He sighed again. "I can't actually come home though—I've been procrastinating all week and have a lot of things due in on Monday and Tuesday." _Maybe I'll just lock myself in the room with food and water._

"Just make sure when you shut yourself in your room, you stock up on supplies first. And please don't cry too loudly."

_This girl is psychic._

"Especially if you _do _forget food. It'd be so shameful to have an older brother die of starvation in the wake of being humiliated—"

He laughed out loud before spitting out, "Ok, ok, oh my god, Kazumi!"

He quickly stopped himself, though, hoping he wouldn't alert Fujioka to his being home. He'd avoided him quite deftly all week by leaving for morning classes around 5 am and waiting until he was out to leave for later ones.

"Well, don't let it happen, Kazunari-kun. Otherwise I'd be the one dying of embarrassment."

"Alright, I promise not to die this weekend, you selfish brat."

"It would be nice if you could come over, though... Mom still isn't over how much she was used to you being here in the summer. Dad misses you, too."

Kazunari smiled. "Winter break's not that far off so you'll be seeing me soon. And you could always visit!" He paused, and then laughed a little shakily. "Actually, now's probably not a good time for that..."

"Ha ha, you really embarrassed yourself _that_ badly?"

"Yeah." He didn't feel like he'd ever be able to face Fujioka, Inoue, or even Kise ever again.

"It's ok, onii-san. It'll pass."

He took that cue—whenever one of them ended their sentence with a simple onii-san or onee-chan, it usually meant they had to go.

"If you say so, onee-chan. Bye."

"Bye-bye."

Takao put his phone down but then realized how dumb it had been to follow his first instinct. He'd been dying to talk about what happened Monday night all week long and yes, his little sister was his best friend in a lot of ways, but he definitely could _only_ talk about this with someone his own age. And someone he wasn't blood-related to.

"Oh!" He suddenly knew exactly who. "I wonder if they're in the break room!"

The 'break room' Takao referred to was the recreation room in Shuutoku's A block. It was a little rundown, as the Shuutoku dorms were the oldest and least refurbished on campus, and it was technically a room reserved for upperclassmen. Student ID cards worked as keys to both of Shuutoku's buildings if you were a resident there, but the rec room only opened to Shuutoku third- and fourth-years.

The people Takao was referring to were a group of guys he'd met after begging Fujioka to take him to see the rec room, back in the first week of the school year. Miyaji Kiyoshi, Kimura Shinsuke, and Ootsubo Taisuke—they had been watching a basketball highlight reel on the room's TV when Takao joined them. They all seemed to like him and it took Takao almost no effort at all to fit in with them. When Miyaji figured out he was a sophomore, though, he'd kicked him out—it seemed he was a real stickler for rules—but Takao still met up with them on a somewhat regular basis and could always count on Kimura or Ootsubo to let him in.

Thursdays. They were always there on Thursdays.

Once he decided he'd talk to them, the next part was the most difficult.  
Getting out of there without seeing Fujioka.

He got dressed to go out, really just pulling on some jeans and a hoodie since he was basically going next door, and then held his ear against the door. He _did_, unfortunately, hear muffled conversation on the other side. Takao glanced at his window, considering something very stupid for a brief moment.

_No, come on. Be adult about this._

Takao left his room, the talking stopping once he closed his bedroom door and two gazes turning in his direction. Surely enough, Fujioka and Inoue were sitting in the common room... across from each other, in the armchairs. Inoue's face seemed to foul at the sight of him.

"Takao," Fujioka said softly, like he was so disappointed and—wow, he'd dropped the -san.

_Yeah, no, fuck this—I'll be an adult later_._  
_It was too miserable of an atmosphere. He nearly ran out the front door.

* * *

Once he got to the rec room, Takao peered in—there were about six guys in there and, luckily, three of them were exactly who he was looking for. He tapped on the glass of the door's window. The other group of guys was playing pool and didn't bother to look up; Kimura, however, was already up to open the door.

"Hi, Takao."

"Thanks for the door, Kimura," he said, flashing a smile.

"Is that Takao?" Miyaji called over.

"No!" Takao answered, before Kimura could say anything.

"Ugh."

"Hey, Takao," Ootsubo greeted, waving.

He was grateful they were all sitting—Kimura was tall, sure, but Miyaji and Ootsubo completely dwarfed Takao. A lot like someone else he'd met recently. He recalled that this was the building he lived in and wondered, for a brief second, if he ever came down to the rec room. He smiled to himself, immediately knowing the answer was a big, fat no.

The four of them talked for a while when, out of nowhere, Kimura picked up on something.

"Is something wrong, Takao?"

"Huh?" _I didn't think I was acting off. Was I?_

"Yeah, what's up with you?" Ootsubo asked. "Something happen?"

Even Miyaji was looking at him now in a way that clearly showed he was thinking the same thing.

_What?_

"Um..." Takao fiddled with his fingers, forcing a small smile. "Actually I did want to talk to you all about something."

Miyaji sighed a little, like 'come on, spit it out.'

He spun the proper way to tell this story around in his head for a few seconds before speaking.

"Well, first off, I'm gay."

The room had just gone quiet in that way it only does when you're saying something private; the pool players had definitely heard. Pretty much immediately, Takao could feel three pairs of eyes all fixated on his back. Even without the sound of their footsteps, he could feel that they were leaving the room. He rolled his eyes, refocusing on his friends—

_What's with their fa— Are they worried about my reaction to those guys?  
_He almost laughed. Not at them but at the mere notion of him being affected by petty homophobia. Otherwise, Takao found himself genuinely touched by their seeming concern. The door closed and it was like their reactions were taken off of pause.

Ootsubo kinda smiled at him and said, "That doesn't surprise me much."

Miyaji responded to Ootsubo with "Really?"

Kimura scratched his chin and said, "Actually, I'd heard rumors."

"Rumors?" Takao felt a jolt of excitement at the idea. "What kind of rumors?"

Kimura shrugged. "Just 'there's a gay kid living in block B.'"

"That's it?" Takao frowned, disappointed. _That's so boring... _"Anyway, I didn't think I was obvious or anything. Ah—the rumor might get more specific now."

"We've got your back," Miyaji said, almost instantly. That seemed to surprise everyone and Takao, unsurprisingly, laughed.

"Pft—I'll be fine! This isn't even what I wanted to you about."

"Oh," they all said, simultaneously.

"Yeah, that's not particularly a secret for me," he said, chuckling.

"Well what is it then?" Miyaji said, sighing.

"Um... My roommate walked in on me," Takao finally said, face quickly gone red.

"Again, Takao-kun?" Ootsubo said, clearly pitying him.

"Yes..."

"Wait, so doesn't this mean the first time you were with a guy?" Kimura pointed out.

Takao nodded, not particularly keen on revisiting that incident, too. He almost continued but there seemed to be an expectant silence hanging in the air. Takao looked at all of their faces—Miyaji was literally leaning in. He sighed and rolled his eyes again.

"Ugh, fine, _I_ was the bottom!"

"I-I wasn't wondering." "Ew, really!?" "That makes sense."  
said Kimura, Miyaji, and Ootsubo, who smiled in a self-satisfied way.

"_Anyway_," Takao continued, electing not to scold or correct them for the sake of getting this story over with. "I did that stupid thing again where I was messing around in the living room instead of going to my room."

"Were you drunk again?" asked Ootsubo.

"No, totally sober. I just thought he was asleep in the other room since it was late and he's a premed student—he's _never _been out at that time before!" Takao pushed his hair back, totally flustered. "We weren't having sex but we were doing... something. And then the door flew open—"

"The front door?" Miyaji checked.

"The _main_ door flew open _right before _I came and I—"  
_...Not positive it's necessary to include the part where I said his name in surprise.  
_"Um, basically, it was really obvious what was happening. I was... loud about it."

"Oh, boy..." Ootsubo commented.

"He wasn't alone." Takao's hands crept up to cover his face, deepening in hue. "He was with his girlfriend."

Kimura grunted sympathetically.

Just a simple, "Oh, no..." from Miyaji.

"I ran into them when I left to come here, I've been avoiding them all week—they wouldn't sit on the couch."

"Well not if you got your jizz all over it," Miyaji said, abruptly and clearly disapproving.

"But I didn't! I, like, _triple-checked _after the guy left! Which—" _Ugh._ "I have to avoid him and everyone he knows like the plague now.

"Do we know him?" Ootsubo asked.

"Um, you probably know of him, but I'm not saying." Takao waved his hand, dismissing the idea totally. "He doesn't live here, either."

"Oh, so he's in the closet?" Kimura proposed.

"No, he—"

"I doubt someone in the closet would try to have sex with a guy in the middle of a _shared room_ like a _pervert_," Miyaji said, glaring at Takao.

"Ok, ok! I feel bad enough..." Takao whined, honestly feeling like he might tear up from the embarrassment.

"It's ok, man," Kimura said, patting his back.

"It'll be fine," Ootsubo echoed, placing a hand firmly on his shoulder.

"Oh, come on!" Miyaji yelled. "Quit treating him like a kid! He did something stupid, so he got busted and humiliated—suck it up and apologize to that poor guy _and_ his girlfriend!"

Takao knew he was right, not even that deep down; he'd been thinking that same thing all week. But the same part of him that went out of his way to avoid facing his roommate was the same part of him that took comfort in being babied by Ootsubo and Kimura.

That side won out.

"Miyaji-san..." he whined, pathetically—fully aware it would get the other two even more firmly on his side.

The two of them turned and glared at Miyaji, unconvinced.

It was very, _very_ difficult for Takao to keep himself from laughing.

* * *

**Haha, sincerely sorry for anyone still offended by yesterday's KiseTaka. It's strictly plot and Takao & Midorima from here on out, pinky swear.**

**It turns out that the nerdiness I mentioned in last chapter's note won't be relevant until... _maybe _next chapter? Possibly chapter 9, instead—either way, just never mind it.**

**Good things are coming, guys. I've had what's coming up in the next few chapters written for a while now and it's simply a matter of writing the in between. I'm really, REALLY excited because things are about to kick into gear and I can't wait for you all to get your eyeballs on it! Prepare yourselves!**

**! I just learned what this means since I'm still kinda new to this: please R&R!  
And if you don't have an FF account and/or you found this through Tumblr—um, I dunno, don't ever hesitate to leave me an ask if you'd like to share your critique. My anon's turned on so anyone can leave me something.  
(I am dying to know if I got the Shuutoku guys alright.)**

**See you in a few days, all!**


	8. Chapter 8

**I'm publishing three chapters today, so we'll meet up at the end of chapter 10!**

* * *

For the first time in a while, Takao didn't come back home super late or super early, because now... well now he wasn't avoiding Fujioka. It was a few minutes after 9 pm when he got back to his dorm.

Inoue was still there, surprisingly, though they weren't sitting down any more—now they were in the kitchen. Well, to call it a kitchen was generous. It was a small area right next to the front door and the only thing that made it a 'kitchen' by any definition was the presence of a small refrigerator and the two counters. One was an island and the other, against the wall, housed a somewhat large sink. Most rooms in Shuutoku didn't have this set up, especially not the rooms in block B. It wasn't impressive, but there was room for a microwave and a small coffee maker, so it was enough for two boys in their early twenties.

On the counter now, though, there was a hot plate—and a really nice one, at that. Takao took notice of it almost before he noticed Fujioka and the girl he appeared to be making steady progress with washing the dishes. The room smelled a bit like food so it was evident she'd cooked for him or something like that.

_At least my timing was good enough to get here when dinner was done._

"Hi, Takao," Fujioka said, quickly, focusing on scrubbing a pan. There were burnt remnants of something on it, indicating that someone clearly wasn't _that _talented of a cook. He smiled subconsciously, thinking it was cute that Inoue would try anyway. She was really, very pretty (probably too pretty for Fujioka, Takao sometimes thought) and had long hair and bangs that made her look even more housewife-y looking it was funny that she didn't fit the role as well as she looked it. Takao casually glanced over at her and—was a bit surprised.

It looked like she was glaring at him.  
Or maybe she wasn't...  
_No, she is definitely glaring at me. What the hell did I—oh yeah._

Takao sighed and walked over to the opposite end of the island. Inoue's eyes followed his every move.

"Fujioka-kun, can we talk?" he asked. He rest his arms on the counter, hoping this wouldn't be too painful for everyone involved.

"Ah." Fujioka turned off the sink and almost wiped his hands on his pants. Inoue swiftly handed him a small towel, from seemingly nowhere. All this without taking her mean stare off of Takao. "Yeah, we should."

The girl crossed her arms.

"Umm..." Takao had thought over what he had to say on the walk over but still struggled to get things in the right order. "I..." He sighed, shoulders slumping, and then looked Fujioka in the eyes. "I'm really, really sorry about Monday. I wasn't thinking straight—actually, that doesn't matter. Even if you're not gonna be home, I shouldn't do that type of stuff in the main room. It's weird and unsanitary and.. like... straight up disrespectful." His eyes shied away at that part and he felt his face flush a little. "_Really_ disrespectful. To you, too, Inoue-san."

Inoue didn't soften up one bit, her mouth totally stuck in a frown.

"Anyway," Takao continued, looking at Fujioka again. "It was really not cool of me, especially after it happened once, and I owe you again. Like, big time."

Inoue sighed, looking impatient and unconvinced with the apology. She also really looked like she wanted to say something, but luckily Fujioka spoke first.

_Oh, he's actually smiling a little._

"It.. It's ok, Takao. Just... never again." He let out a small laugh. "For real this time."

"Thank _god!_" Takao sighed out, nearly yelling. His whole body slumped forward and over the counter. "I thought I was gonna _die this week!_ Avoiding you is too much work, Fujioka, really."

Fujioka smiled. Inoue looked over at him and seemingly loosened her arms at the sight of his smiling. Her frown turned into a simple pout, too, and she just looked off to the side, still annoyed.

_Damn, I have to think fast. Things are probably fine for now but unhappy girlfriends have a skill for causing trouble..._

"Is there anything I can do..? As a favor?" He didn't have any ideas. "To help make up for it or—"

"Um... I can't think of anything." "Well, you could replace the couch..."  
Fujioka and Inoue spoke at the same time. Although, it sounded like Inoue had mumbled something else at the end of her sentence—but what Takao _thought_ he heard had to be wrong.

_I could _swear_ I just heard her say 'the couch that you nutted on.'  
_Though it was a delayed reaction, he had to restrain from letting out a signature _pft_, just at the mere idea of her saying something that vulgar. He almost wished she _had_ said it.

"Inoue-san, I think that's asking a bit much..." Fujioka said, genuinely sounding bothered by the idea.

"Do you think so?" she asked. "He wants to do a favor to make up for what happened... I can't think of anything else." She turned to face Takao again. "Can you?"

It was actually his first time really hearing her speak—her super feminine voice did a really good job of masking her surly attitude.

_Damn. She really has it out for me._

Takao smiled politely, having already stood straight up again, and admitted, "No, not really."

_This actually _is_ kind of perfect. It's a little too much for Fujioka so it'll be more than enough to make up for it and it was her idea so she'll feel like she won. _He smiled at her again, really turning the charm on now.

"Actually, it's a great idea, Inoue-san." Then, turning to Fujioka, he said, "That's exactly what I'll do, man. Sorry again."

"That's really..." Fujioka glanced at the girl and her firm look swayed him. "Ok. But is getting rid of the dorm's couch even allowed..?"

Inoue, with her arms finally at her sides and a small smile on her face, said, "Actually, Shuutoku has a policy that allows replacement of shared furniture as long as the replacement is of equal or higher value. I assume it must be left behind, as well."

"Huh," Takao said. It actually did make sense—there's was the oldest dorm after all. The school didn't pour much money into making Shuutoku extra appealing, that was for sure. He smiled. "Then that's what I'll do."

_How hard has she been thinking about this, though?_

He wasn't _that _excited, of course. There wouldn't be any fun in having to beg his dad to send money and he'd have to come up with an excuse as for why. And on top of that, Shuutoku was all the way in the back of the residential areas—how the fuck was he supposed to get the old couch out or the new one in? Actually...

The more he thought about it the more of a pain it turned out it was. He looked over at Inoue who was now openly offering him a smile. She was even rocking back and forth on her heels a little.

_Shit, she really did win._

"Inoue-san, I'm curious—what dormitories do you live in?" he asked, speaking carefully with her.

"Rakuzan."

"Ah—that kind of makes sense. You give off that important air," he complimented, smiling softly.

_Ugh, that makes so much sense. Here I was thinking if Fujioka likes her, she must be simple and sweet..._

Rakuzan was the campus's most expensive dormitory—actually, to call it a dormitory was incorrect. They were student apartments and known for being luxurious. It consisted of two blocks (divided by sex) and although the buildings were located far across from each other, they were by far the closest residencies to the academic buildings and the two nicest dining halls.  
It was strictly for rich kids—not even geniuses on scholarship lived in Rakuzan.

Her smile made him want to stick his tongue out at her.

Sighing internally, he realized he'd have to ask Kimura for a favor.

* * *

Midorima woke up after the first buzz of his alarm clock. He emptied his bladder, washed his face, and then brushed his teeth. He changed into his running clothes, stretched, but before leaving the building, he got online briefly to check his student email and his horoscope. It was time for his morning run.

Most of his weekday mornings went more or less exactly this way. And when he would get back, he would shower, get dressed, and then go to class. The part that was never any different were his short online activities, specifically his near-obsession with zodiac rankings. It wasn't necessarily that Midorima was addicted to routine—it was more accurate to say that once he figured out the _best_ way of doing something, he saw no reason to change it.

What _was _different this morning, though, was the route he would take during his run.

In the four classes he had that day, he had two tests and was scheduled to take part in an intense lab (one that could put him in his professor's favor if he did well). He usually took the nearest exit off of campus and did something around 4 miles—2 miles out into the area that surrounded his large university and 2 miles back to campus. On days where he had important—hell, sometimes potentially life-changing (he thought, anyway)—events, the route was adjusted so that he ran through campus and along the stores right next to the dorms. The run was also hugely shortened so he could conserve energy for the day ahead. He made this adjustment so that he could stop by a small general store. For the times when he didn't already have Oha Asa's lucky item of the day.

He always made sure to have it on days when Cancer ranked low, sure. However, if something important was happening, it didn't matter if his ranking was spectacularly high or abysmal—he would definitely have the day's lucky item.

Definitely.

Even if the item was something obscure or hard to get to before his school day started, which was almost always early in the morning, somehow he would always walk in with it on his person.

Sometimes lucky items were pens, watches, a baseball card—small trinkets and novelties. But occasionally, they were things like lunchboxes or stuffed animals—and over the years, Shintarou had gathered a number of particular favorite items for days that called for the more unwieldy charms. It had garnered him a bit of a reputation on campus in his first year but really... if he hadn't cared in during his pubescent years, how could he possibly care now?

He didn't _always_ have a lucky item, though. When he'd been in high school, he'd been more anal about it, possibly bordering on obsessive. Now, though, with his academic schedule and the change of environment... it was strange but it was like something about being busy pushed the importance of the lucky items to the side. As a teenager, the busier he got, the more he insisted on having them but—he wasn't sure why college was different.

_Maybe because this is the real world?_  
This thought crossed his mind as he paid for the day's lucky item and sighed, exasperated. Each time he came to this store, he had seen this thing sitting behind the counter and hoped he would never have to lug it around school... So of course it was perfectly fitting that today he was buying it.

_This is exactly the kind of item I can't take around with me once I start basic medicine next year._

Today's lucky item was a rather large stuffed rabbit, something Midorima didn't have with him at school. The bunny was larger than he would have liked to purchase, but he chose convenience over preference. He sighed again once the rabbit was handed over to him—the woman who worked there early in the morning was familiar with his habits so didn't offer to bag it.

"...I guess you'll do."

* * *

**! Whoops, I mean we'll meet up now. I'm not good at describing physical settings so if you find this fictional college campus confusing, I've made an itty bitty map that you can find on my Tumblr—I'll leave a link up on my profile for those who are interested.  
**

**_Now_, I'll see you at the end of Chapter 10.**


	9. Chapter 9

**This might get spotty towards the end. I've messed with this chap for days now, so I sincerely hope not.**

* * *

Finally it was 4:00—Midorima was off the hook for the rest of day. His lucky item had, as expected, gained him some questionable looks and more than a few of his classmates had insisted on asking what the giant orange bunny was about. All in all, though, a few obnoxious glances and annoying questions couldn't ruin his day—huh. That was funny.

For a second, Midorima thought he would have to get his prescription checked. But as he got closer, he confirmed that he wasn't imagining things: there was a two-seater couch in the middle of campus.

Well to say it was in the middle of campus wasn't totally right. There was a distinct separation between the academic and residential portions of the university grounds and it was sitting on the curb right at the security outpost and gates for the dorms. It wasn't a lone couch, though—whomever it belonged to was sitting on it. He thought it was odd but it certainly wasn't the strangest thing he'd seen on a college campus.

Just as he decided he would try to avoid whoever the weirdo on the couch was, though, he was close enough to recognize him.

Fujioka's roommate. The guy from the goukon. The boy who had grabbed his hand.

Takao, who had been on his phone, texting furiously, suddenly looked up, like he sensed someone was looking at him. Midorima stopped directly in front of the couch, rabbit clenched firmly.

"What the hell are you doing here?" "What the hell is _that_ thing?"  
"_Pfft_—" Takao began laughing.

Midorima frowned and wondered why he had even stopped to ask this idiot anything at all.  
_He's seriously so noisy._

"Really, what is that? A gift from a girl or something?" It was obvious Takao was trying to keep more laughter in; he wasn't even trying to hide it. "I have to say, I don't really get her taste, Shin-chan."

Midorima sighed, irritated with how quickly the other boy had cracked up, with how quickly he'd allowed himself to be annoyed, and by the use of that stupid name again. "It's Cancer's lucky item for today. And I told you not to call me that."

"Cancer's what…?" Takao half-asked—he trailed off at the end, distracted by his phone chiming.

As he read the text, Midorima began to lift a foot and continue on his way, but didn't get it completely off of the ground before Takao let out a loud, heavy sigh.

"This week is seriously the worst…" He threw his phone off to the side and buried his face in his hands. "I don't know where all this bad luck is coming from…"

Midorima, out of habit, wondered what his sign was, but restrained himself from asking. He started to move his leg again—

"I'm trying to get this stupid couch back to Shuutoku but the security guy wouldn't let the mover's truck through to the residential side—some stupid shit about it not being delivery or something." Takao wiped his face up and down, almost as if to wipe the stress away. He then ran a hand through his hair. The serious look on his face was surprising to Midorima.

If he was understanding the explanation properly, security probably wouldn't let the truck through because it wasn't approved. Approved vehicles would probably be family vehicles or delivery services of some kind. It made sense that they wouldn't let a local mover's truck in, but only by technical standards—it seemed a little petty to not let them in so Takao's frustration wasn't totally unjustified.

"Why not call whoever brought it here and have them take it back around campus?" Midorima was referring to the smaller entrances that were located at the back of campus and led directly off campus.

"He was on the clock and bringing it out here in the first place was already a favor." He shook his head. "I couldn't ask him to stay, that wouldn't have been right."

_I suppose that's true_, Midorima thought, also thinking he wouldn't have hesitated to have the driver take him the other way around.

"I have a friend with a truck that helped me this morning... but he's just said no."

"No?"

Takao nodded at his phone which was very close to sliding off of the couch because of how he'd thrown it.

"'Just no' is exactly what the message says." He stared at it for a moment more before using his finger to give it a small push. The phone clattered against the pavement.

"There's no use taking things out on inanimate objects."

"I know but... stupid Kimura…" Then he mumbled, "This is all my own stupid fault anyway."

Shintarou nearly started walking again, feeling like he had gotten everything he could have out of their interaction, but glanced at Takao's face a last time. He was looking off to the side with his chin resting on his fist. His expression seemed genuinely concerned… and definitely frustrated. His initial assumption, after hearing his problem, was that he was sitting around whining, which he _was_, but—it was strange. Now that he was looking at him, he just looked like he was thinking. Intensely. Definitely trying to do something about it but sitting around and acting casual at the same time. His eyes were sharp—like that time after he'd introduced himself.

Why Midorima remembered that look so clearly, he couldn't begin to guess.

He let out a small breath, giving in.

"You could carry it from here."

"Huh?" Takao snapped out of a daze of sorts, looking up at him with a confused face. He shook his head. "It's not heavy but it's not _that_ light. Plus finding the right way to hold it—I couldn't do that on my own." He glanced at his phone again, almost like he was wondering what it was doing down there.

"I'm supposed to tutor Fujioka this evening. The time it would take to get this back to the dorm would likely coincide with the time we agreed upon."

"Wait." The boy jumped up from his seat. "Are you saying you'll _help me_ take this back?"

"We live in the same direction anyway." Midorima crossed his arms, unintentionally positioning the bunny in a choke hold of sorts.

Takao's eyes widened. "_Really?_" He then broke out into a wide smile, his eyes instantly lighting up. Grabbing Midorima by both arms, he said, "You're the best, Shin-chan!"

"I—" _Why is he smiling so much?_ Midorima looked away, overwhelmed by his response. _He's totally overreacting._ "It's nothing. Let's go."

Takao nodded fervently and hurried to pick up his phone and roll up his sleeves. "Um." He looked at the choking bunny.

Taking his cue, Midorima placed the bunny, sitting upright, on the couch.  
"Don't drop him," he added, as an afterthought.

"'Him'?" Takao asked, smile persisting.

He adjusted his glasses. "Just don't drop him."

"_Pft._"

Midorima was about to give him a dirty look before he then heard him say, "I wouldn't dream of it."

"Why do you need a new couch anyway?" he asked.

"You don't wanna know," Takao answered.

_More like you don't want to tell me._

* * *

Although Shuutoku was located toward the back of campus, it wasn't that far of a walk from the gate—if it were, that would defeat the purpose of on-campus housing. Despite it not being far, though, the two of them still took almost 30 minutes to get to Takao's building.

It wasn't that Takao was slow or weak, like Midorima had initially feared. In fact, he was surprisingly strong and didn't seem to struggle in carrying his side at all. It was more like their vast difference in height was making wielding the couch problematic and this slowed them down as a result.

In other words, they were forced to talk to each other.

Luckily for Midorima, who was unpracticed and uncomfortable in the ways of making pleasant small talk, Takao was a natural leader of conversation. Actually, Midorima realized after a while that this was the most he'd spoken to someone all week. Maybe even since school had started. Takao did a lot of joking around, a lot of laughing, especially when Midorima hadn't said anything particularly funny.

And he was persistent with that 'Shin-chan, Shin-chan'—he'd thought it had been a joke the first few times he used it but hearing it over and over again, and coming so naturally from him, made it abundantly clear that this was the inappropriately cute nickname he was stuck with. It annoyed him but... he dealt with it. What was more annoying was how slow their walking was.

_At this rate, it may be faster if he just sat on the couch and I carried both of them._  
_—I mean._

Shintarou had managed to make himself blush at the sheer stupidity and impossibility of the last thought, wondering why the hell something like that had come to mind. He was also immediately thankful the idiot didn't see his face right then. God only knows what he would say if he saw him blushing for no apparent reason.

* * *

Takao sighed. The new couch was finally indoors and positioned exactly where the old one had been.

"To be honest, that wasn't as bad as I thought it might be," he said, stretching his arms.

"You yourself said it wasn't heavy," Midorima commented. He let out a breath, too, before sitting next to Usa-san.

"Ha ha, no, I mean carrying it with _you_," he said, smiling at him. "I wasn't sure we'd have anything to talk about."

"Oh."

"It turns out you're really fun to talk to, though, Shin-chan. I knew I liked you."

_What the hell does that mean?_ he thought as Takao buzzed over to the kitchen and turned on the sink. It wasn't that Midorima didn't trust him—he seemed like an honest guy and he, too, felt he was much easier to talk to than he'd expected. There was still something about him—or being around him—though, that made him feel unsettled. Restless.

"Do you want water?" he called out from behind the refrigerator. Midorima almost answered but saw there were already two full glasses on the counter. The refrigerator door slammed shut and Takao walked over to the table with both glasses in hand but nothing from the fridge. Maybe part of the restlessness was the fact that Takao hadn't stopped moving once since they'd gotten back.

"Here. Thank you for your hard work." He held a glass out to him.

"It was nothing," he said, taking it.

"_Pft_, it definitely was, though—you didn't have to help me. I appreciate it." Takao sat his own glass down. "Really."

Midorima stayed silent, ever stubborn, and when he took his first drink, he nearly choked.

For some reason Takao was pulling his shirt off.

"What are you doing?"

"Hm?" He was still pulling the t-shirt over his head. "I sweat kinda easily; I need to get out of this thing." It was completely off now and he finally grabbed his water. "I've also been running around with this dumb couch all day."

Midorima sighed in discontent and looked away. There was that restless feeling again that made sharing a room with him so difficult. His eyes did wander back, though, and he took notice of Takao's skin, first. He was a light tan all over; interesting considering summer had been over for several months. The casual way he was dressed sort of hid what Midorima found to be a surprisingly fit body. His arms, shoulders, and abdomen were all fairly toned; just toned enough to make Midorima wonder if he worked out. He instantly dismissed the idea; he was somehow completely confident this guy spent most of his free time either goofing off with friends or staying in.

_He must have been dehydrated. _He hadn't taken a single break from drinking and would slightly tilt his head back more with every gulp. Without meaning to, or even realizing, Midorima was watching each way his body moved. The bobbing of his Adam's apple, the slight swells of his stomach that accompanied each swallow. A stream of water escaped the glass and trickled out from the corner of his mouth, to his jaw, and down his neck. It ran down his chest, losing momentum as it traced along his midriff before finally reaching its end and leaving the tiniest stain on the band of Takao's boxers. It took a second to register as such, but Midorima felt as if he'd just seen something terribly explicit.

Yet even though he felt that way, he couldn't tear his eyes off of him. Not even when Takao let out a refreshed sigh and looked straight at him.

Midorima turned, his eyes darting quickly away. "Put a shirt on."

* * *

Takao was now wearing a clean shirt and he finally felt normal again thanks to the water... but his heart was anything but.

_He was watching me just then.  
He was checking me out that whole time._

He gulped, suddenly feeling like maybe he needed water again. Takao was no stranger to being checked out. Girls, guys—regardless of who was doing the ogling, he was accustomed enough to it that he recognized it.

So there was no way he was mistaking it, right?  
Yeah, Midorima's eyes had been intently on him while he drank.

That wasn't the reason his heart was pounding, though.

The pounding was due to the scary realization that he had found him. This had to be him.

A medical student of all people. _Midorima_ of all people. The whole time in the den and even on the walk back, the air had been charged. He'd sensed it but hadn't realized what it was until now.

Chemistry. The friction of chemistry and the magnetic pull of attraction.

Takao closed his eyes hard; he was more than a little upset with himself.

_Not a straight guy. Please not another straight guy._  
No amount of mental chanting and wishing otherwise would do a thing, though. He knew it now—the person he was interested in was Midorima Shintarou.

He'd known when he finished his water and saw he wasn't imagining the feeling of being watched. And he'd especially known after Midorima looked off to the side and mumbled for him to put a shirt on.

There were other things.

How he'd offered to help him out of the blue and with, really, nothing to gain from it. The way he refused to say you're welcome but also refused to say thank you—tsundere. That was the right word—a total tsundere.

And though he was sure it put other people off, he liked how standoffish he acted, a strange mix of defense and offense. And if he could go a whole conversation without cracking a single smile but still help someone without being asked, it meant there was something else there. Probably several somethings past the less than nice attitude he displayed.

_There's something else, though, there has to be. I don't get it—but there's something even more basic than all of that._

_I really wanna know more about him... damn._

He knocked himself in the head, kind of like he was trying to shake the thoughts away, and finally exited his bedroom.

He headed straight to the fridge again, now very conscious of Midorima's presence. He couldn't be near him, couldn't talk to him, and _definitely_ couldn't look into his eyes, or at his fingers, or his broad shoulders, either.

_Seriously, how does someone like him carry around a stuffed animal with a serious look on his face?_ He looked over at Midorima. As if on cue, he was adjusting Usa-san's sitting position, like he was trying to make the doll more comfortable.

_Are you freaking kidding me!? He's seriously adorable...!_

Takao needed to do something, anything at this point—he just couldn't let his eyes wander because they would inevitably settle on the guy and his toy rabbit.

_Uh..._ He'd opened the fridge while on auto-pilot and just now noticed he was standing in front of it. _Right, I'll keep my hands busy. _Takao made a mental note to do _something_ about the pathetically empty state the refrigerator was in before shutting its door, disappointed.

_But he's so uptight_, he went back to thinking.

Takao was flat out staring and had to stop himself, so he went back to looking in the fridge.

_He's not even my type._ _I mean, I guess I like how tall he is._  
Now he was just staring blankly into the empty box. He sighed and slammed the fridge shut again, opting to cut an apple.

With the fruit in front of him and a paring knife in hand, he managed to keep his eyes off of him but his mind was hardly concentrating. His thoughts felt scattered and it wasn't long before he wasn't focusing on cutting an apple so much as he was trying to focus on the simple action of _not looking over at Midorima._

_He's reading_, he noticed, looking up. He looked down at the counter again but, almost instantly, his eyes flitted back up.

_Is he studying? No, that looks like a normal book._  
Looked down.  
_I wonder what he's reading._  
Looked up.  
_Should I ask? No, I should just leave it._  
Down.

_It makes sense he'd be into reading._  
Up.  
_He holds that book really gently. And doesn't take his glasses off even with the book that close._  
Down.  
_I wonder how bad his eyesight is...  
_Up.  
_His eyes are kind of pretty now that I think of it. Ugh, no, I can't think like that!  
_Down... and then he glanced up again.

_…But really, the face he made when he looked away—ow._

Takao's attention was finally called away by a small but undoubtedly sharp pain in his left index finger.

"Shit," he mumbled and winced a little. A thin line of red appeared on his finger.

_Well, it doesn't look bad._ His bad habit of experimenting with injuries surfaced and he lightly squeezed the area around the cut. A small droplet of blood welled up.

_Yeah, it's not that much. I'll just—_

The drop of blood was now a small pool. _That's a little more than expect—_

The circle's surface broke and a drop of red fell to the counter, heavy enough that it made an audible _splat_ sound.

"Uh…" Takao placed the knife on the counter. _Shit. _"Um!"

On the brink of panicking, he looked up and at Midorima.

"Shin-chan, um…" he said, wanting to sound calm but also not sure he'd been loud enough for him to hear.

Midorima looked up from his book, seemingly already irritated. "I told you..."

"Bleeding."

"...not to call me—What?"

"Bleeding. I'm bleeding. A lot." Takao smiled—even _he _wasn't sure why.

"Bleeding? Are you serious?"

Takao nodded, turning his attention back to his finger. It still hadn't stopped. He knew it probably wasn't as bad as it looked. He knew he could probably take care of it himself (like most people, he had a first aid kit). He knew there were a number of things he could be doing right now other than just staring at his cut finger like he was a helpless child but for some reason, the first thing—the only thing, really—he thought to do was call out to Midorima and hope and wait for him to help.

Because he was a medical student...? Maybe?  
What a stupid train of thought that was...

Just as he resolved himself to stop being inactive and run some water over his finger (or something), he nearly walked into the broad chest of—huh. Shin-chan. Takao looked up at him—and that was the moment he finally got a true understanding of how big their difference in height was—and felt a breath catch in his throat. He just prayed he wasn't making a weird face. Or blushing.

_Oh god, please don't let me blush._

"Let me see it," Midorima demanded, his voice low and calm.

"Oh, uh." Takao was now feeling the full weight of how dumb it had been to just stand there with a bleeding finger. He held it out, timidly. "There's a first aid kit under my bed..." he added, mumbling.

Midorima looked at him for a second, his eyes a little mean, and Takao knew he was thinking, 'Why didn't you do anything?' Feeling embarrassed and increasingly uncomfortable with the situation, Takao just looked away.

He felt Midorima grab his hand and bring it closer to him but resisted the urge to watch. It was when he felt a tug, obviously in the direction of the sink, that he finally looked, just watching his hand. His hand being handled by Midorima's.

This was all terribly embarrassing.  
_My heart's going crazy, this completely sucks._  
For a short moment, Takao imagined that if his heart kept beating as fast and hard as it currently was, it might cause blood to spurt out of his cut like in a bad horror movie. The idea of it almost made him crack a smile but something else suddenly struck him and he couldn't keep his mouth from moving.

"How do you have all of this stuff out already?"

There was an open first aid kit sitting on the counter and Midorima was already applying hydrogen peroxide to the cut.

"I'm a medical student. I always keep a kit like this with me."

"I get that you're a medical student, but I'm sure even Fujioka doesn't walk around with that in his bag all time..."

"Hmph." Midorima had already moved on to applying some sort of cream that must be made for cuts. "Since we're pointing out abnormal behavior, I suppose it's fine that I point out most people don't stand around getting blood on everything after they cut themselves."

"I—" Takao started, looking up at Midorima's face. Takao considered saying something back but couldn't find words.

_His eyelashes._

There was the sticky, adhesive feeling of a bandage being wrapped around his finger.

_No, his eyes._

Takao fell totally silent. Resisted the urge to bite his bottom lip in wonder.

_Yeah... this is the person._


	10. Chapter 10

"It's not deep enough to be a real worry but you should expect your finger to be sore for a few days." Midorima's brow knitted—he wasn't happy with the way he'd wrapped the bandage. He tsk-ed and unwrapped it, taking care not to pull in a way that may agitate the wound. He threw the bandage away.

"Th-thank you," Takao muttered. Shintarou wondered if his eyes were deceiving him—it looked like Takao was blushing.

"It's nothing," Midorima said, almost sighing as he tried not to sound like a scolding father. Something in Takao's face made him feel like he might be being overly critical. "Pay more attention."

"I always pay attention…" Takao mumbled. Midorima bit his tongue and refrained from pointing out that he clearly didn't _always_ pay attention.

"Does it hurt?" he asked.

Takao shook his head no. Midorima began to apply the second bandage. Already he knew this one was wrapped better.

"Is that too tight?"

Takao shook his head no again.

_He's surprisingly quiet right now._ Midorima found it strangely funny and a small smile formed on his face.

"…Why are you smiling?" Takao asked. The boy sounded weird. A little tense or something.

"It's nothing," Midorima replied, doing nothing to wipe the smile from his face.

_Is it making him uneasy?_

"...You're creeping me out."

_It is._

"Is something funny about me being sliced open?"

"Don't be so dramatic, the cut isn't nearly that bad."

Takao loosened up a bit. "Sorry. Thank you." There was a pause before he said, "I've just never seen you smile."

Midorima looked up from Takao's hand at that statement. His face wasn't beet red and he didn't look mad or panicked. He kind of looked at ease. His cheeks were a little flushed and he was smiling a little. Shintarou let go of his hand. Now that he was letting it go, he realized just how long he'd been holding it for.

"It's finished."

Takao nodded and looked at his bandaged finger, turning it over. "You did that really quickly. You looked professional or something.

Midorima adjusted his glasses. "Of course I did."

"_Pft._" Takao laughed at this response and looked up at him again. For some reason, Midorima thought he felt his pulse speed up a bit. The smile that came with that laugh was different from the ones he'd seen until then. It was softer, his eyes seemed to smile, too, and, for once, he didn't look like he was being even slightly mocking.

_He's good-looking.  
Wait._  
Midorima felt himself blushing and looked away. _…Whatever._

This was now the second time he'd caught himself thinking something weird like that about this guy. It was a flat sentiment but he knew that if he'd thought it, he meant it. And he _was_ good-looking. Right? He was arguably handsome, by most people's standards. Acknowledging someone's physical attractiveness wasn't something that would necessarily drive someone to embarrassment but the more he tried to justify the thought, the hotter he felt his face get. And the recurring sentence running through his head was:

_He's good-looking.  
__He's good-looking.  
__He's seriously good-looking._

It was those eyes. It had to be.

"Hey, Shin-chan."

"I've told you not to call me that."

"Do you wanna know why I was distracted?"

"Not particularly," he said, knowing that being dismissive was his only ticket back to his seat.  
He may even pack up and leave. There was a strange feeling like suffocation creeping in on him.

"Hey…" Takao called, really quietly.

Midorima felt a tug at the neck of his shirt that managed to surprise him enough to pull him down. When he looked, ready to tell Takao off for—ugh, for doing _whatever_ he was doing, what he saw effectively left him speechless.

Takao's face right in front of his. His eyelids hung a little heavily but his sharp eyes looked directly at him—hell, directly _through _him—all at once. And...

And his lips... were slightly parted.

Midorima instinctively jerked back, totally surprised and, honestly, a bit afraid.

_Afraid of Takao?_

No, just… afraid of what had almost happened. No, it was no good to carried away—afraid of what it _looked_ like was going to happen.

Midorima's reaction may have warded off someone else but not Takao. The look in his eyes said he was on a mission and he simply tugged at Midorima's shirt a second time.

The tug this time was different.  
The first tug had been a strong one that actually managed to pull him down but this one was light, clearly not meant to move him. In other words:

The first pull was to get his attention; this one was a dare.

Midorima's pulse wasn't just up, he could clearly hear his heart racing in his own ears. This was out of nowhere. Wasn't it? He actively considered leaving Takao like that. He could scoff, saying something cold, and go home. It would be fitting and serve as a sort of punishment for being... for being so presumptuous. For being overly familiar. For being crass, noisy, invasive—for all of the laughing.

But most _especially_ for being so fucking confusing.

He almost rejected him out of pure spite. That would have been the end of it.

...

Instead of any of that, though, Midorima leaned in. He felt like time was moving impossibly slow as he made the conscious effort to close their height gap. As Takao's face came closer to his, he resigned that this was what he was going to do. He licked his bottom lip and closed his eyes.

_Damn.  
There... there's no going back after this._

Their lips met, the sensation warm and incredibly soft. The first kiss was short—Takao let go of Midorima's shirt and the taller boy pulled back a little. The sound of their lips separating was quiet but clearly audible; it echoed in Midorima's ears.

_We just… kissed._ _I just kissed him. _  
He was still processing what had just happened but a part of him was deeply grateful his glasses hadn't slid down or otherwise embarrassed him.

Takao's expression was largely the same as it had been before they kissed, except now he was even _less_ red in the face—a complete contrast to Midorima who was painfully aware of how hard he was blushing. It had to be all the way up to his ears. Takao's lack of a reaction threw him into a panic.

_Shit.  
__Did I misinterpret that? __Was that a joke? I__ totally got it wrong. Shit, this is beyond embarrassing—it's downright humiliating.__  
_

As a foreign sense of self-loathing bubbled inside of him, Midorima struggled for words. He couldn't tell who was at fault. Should he be angry or apologetic?

Takao looked down and said, "Um…"

Midorima's thoughts crashed to a halt. "Yes?"

"I…" Takao bit his lip and stepped back. "You should go."

"Oh." Midorima felt his heart sink and his pulse quicken. All the doubts had been right. He adjusted his glasses again and tried to get his blushing under control. "Right."

Takao nodded softly, still not making eye contact, and held his finger. Midorima was still reeling but did his best to move like nothing was different.

_Like nothing's different.  
__We just kissed, didn't we?_

The sting of rejection started to settle in along with the feeling of total confusion. He organized and closed up his first aid kit, wishing he hadn't kissed him. Wishing he'd left just a few minutes earlier. Wishing he hadn't offered to carry that damn couch. He had picked up his kit just as he heard the other guy say something.

"What?" He hadn't caught whatever he'd said—it'd been too quiet. He turned to see that Takao was closer than expected and his heart picked up speed again. This time he could actively feel his hands shaking, if only a little. Yeah, there was no way he could pretend things weren't different now.

"I said, um," Takao was looking straight into his eyes again. "Could you come back tomorrow? To check on the cut, I mean?"

Midorima looked at him and blinked, utterly perplexed.

The cut on his finger wasn't serious enough that it needed looking after. Honestly, it wasn't even bad enough that Takao himself couldn't have handled it had he been alone.

Still, he replied, "If you feel that it's necessary."

It was an excuse. A very poorly masked one, at that.  
But it was an excuse they both wanted.

After leaving the room, leaving the building, and feeling a faint breeze against his face, he finally felt himself calm down again.

"Damn," he muttered to himself before beginning the short walk to his building.

_...This is my fault._

Had he even properly heeded his horoscope for the day? Sure, he had Usa-san with him even as the thought crossed his mind, but when he tried to remember what his ranking had been, he couldn't. Couldn't even remember what he'd done that day. All he remembered now was a couch and a kiss.

_Damn, my head is all clouded._

When he got to his room, he set the bunny he'd lugged around campus all day on his bed.

_I doubt I'll be able to get any work done._

He lay down on the bed, too, his mind racing despite his best efforts to calm it down. He let out an aggravated sigh—he really hated that he'd been so reckless.

Midorima had never kissed a guy before.  
What did that mean?  
Did it mean anything?  
He'd been caught up in the moment—  
But he'd been caught up in the moment _with_ _a guy._

He knit his brow and removed his glasses.

_Was this in Oha Asa?_ he wondered, sarcastically. _I wish I'd known today would end with me questioning my sexuality._

Did he have to, though? It had just been a kiss. Midorima sucked his teeth in frustration and closed his eyes, knowing that this thought process was just going to repeat itself.

_What was with that reaction, though? _

He opened his eyes again because keeping them closed made him relive the kiss.

_He's the one who called my name like that. He _literally_ pulled me in.  
_The more he analyzed it, the more frustrated he became._  
_

Midorima hadn't kissed a lot of people. He hadn't had more than two girlfriends, either, and something about those relationships had always rung false. But even with his lack of experience, he knew he couldn't have read that wrong.

Right?

No one could read something like that _that_ wrong, could they?

"Ugh…" He didn't like it, but he knew he needed a second opinion. It was at times like this, and really only at times like this, that he regretted the way he acted—to say he had no friends wasn't entirely wrong. He knew a lot of people on academic terms but the only person he could think of _maybe_ asking advice of was Fujioka.

"…_Hm__._" This was now the second time he'd left while he needed tutoring. Damn, he needed to get his shit together.

He knew the issue would be all he could think about until it was resolved, which didn't bode well for how much work he had coming up. Midorima wasn't the type to stand around with an open cut and hope someone would come to him and fix it.

He needed to resolve it as soon as possible.

* * *

"Fuck." Takao whispered as he wiped the last partially dried drop of blood from the counter with a wet paper towel.

_Fuck._

"_Fuck._"

It was all he could think or say. He'd been quiet since Shin-chan had left and now that he was finally speaking, the expletive was the only word he could muster at the moment. Takao tossed the paper towel and touched his lips.

"Why did I!?" He shut his eyes and tried not to think about the kiss, but failed. Opening his eyes, he said, "I did something really bad."

_Was it bad? I... I can't tell. I can _always_ tell. Was that a bad thing to do...?!_

His left index finger pulsed with pain and he glanced down at it. At the sight of the bandage, he winced—he was going to think of Midorima every time he saw it. He cursed under his breath. He was furious with himself.

His face grew hot just recalling how Midorima had been so unexpectedly gentle with his hand. It was clear he'd been annoyed to an extent but it seemed like, more than anything, he was concerned. Or at least cared a bit. But why should he have cared—why _would_ he? It may have just been the careful touch of someone preparing to practice medicine but regardless of the why, it still baffled Takao and his body had just started moving on its own...

A kiss. That kiss. He could hardly believe Midorima had gone along with it.

_Why did he do it? ...Is he gay?_

Thinking of the kiss again made his heart beat—hard. And his pulse quickening made his finger throb.

There was something else, though, that Takao didn't want to admit to but had to acknowledge.

He'd been scared.  
He'd been really scared.

He was sure he would be rejected and that he could use the sting of it to find another person to like. Or no other person to like. He was sure he would maybe creep the guy out or at least make things awkward so he could know for sure there was nothing to be there for him. But instead, something totally outside of his calculations had occurred.

The kiss had been short, so short, maybe the shortest kiss he'd ever had. But he still remembered how he felt his blood freeze and nerves suddenly start to come alive during it. Takao was good at the lead up. He was good at seduction, he was good at sex, he was good at keeping things casual. What he wasn't good with were the little things, like the butterflies one gets from their first kiss with someone they like. Little things like their little, 3-second kiss, sent his heart and mind into a spiral whereas he could spend four hours in a sordid threesome as both a bottom _and_ a top and go to class the same day without so much as questioning his life choices.

Metaphorically speaking.

The whole reason he'd let go of Midorima's shirt was that he had scared himself. He'd played like he always would and seduced him into leaning in and kissing him... but once he got what he wanted, he'd suddenly turned into a shocked, unrecognizable bundle of nerves.

He leaned forward against the counter, his head aching against the hard surface.

_Fuck._  
"Fuck."  
It was all he could think or say.

A kiss had never felt that important before.

* * *

**Phewww, so I cranked these three out. Not at _all_ in one day, but I did pump out the last two within two hours of each other, I hope that makes up for it. **

**I'm both physically and... well, no, just physically exhausted—didn't sleep last night so I'm gonna drag myself (read as: lifeless corpse) up the stairs and into my bedroom. But before I do!**

**Please please please review. Pleeeease. I really like reading them, they make my day! I don't respond to most of 'em but I think more than a few of you know that I do. And I obviously read them all—ahh, they're just useful for knowing what I'm doing right and what you peeps aren't too crazy about. And I'm sure you all can understand why I'd really want reviews for the last two chapters. :3 (Plus, I must admit, they keep me really motivated.)**

**And tell your MidoTaka shipper friends to read this darn thing! That may just be the sleep deprivation talking—I did write 'darn', after all.**

******Mm... I think that's all. See you soon! H**ope you enjoyed! Thank you for reading!  
*bows deeply*  
*falls asleep*


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